Miles of Dirty Trails

Hot biker chicks.

Wednesday was hot and steamy… 107 heat index. But since I signed up for the Maple Leaf Tri on Saturday, I thought I should get in a practice run of the course. My tri bike had been on the trainer all winter, so it was definitely a must to get the rear tire on and to make sure everything was working.

I met a group of friends at the Baldwin City pool for a super hot sweaty hilly ride. Woot! It was nice riding in a group with the whole “safety in numbers” thing. We made it out to the turn-around and took a quick drink before we tackled the “big ass hill” on the way back. Really, the entire route is hilly, but that hill is definitely a granny-gear hill. I have seen many a rider dismount and push their bikes up. (which actually might be faster to do than pedaling…. hmmm….)

Ami, Benita, Me, Vicki. We are all sweaty and totally badass.

Back at the pool, we took a quick group pic and I rode back to my house for the most awesome shower and giant glass ice water ever!!!!

I felt pretty good about the triathlon.

And then I went to work the next day and smashed my finger in the car door. I have no idea how I did it. Really. But it was very painful. I tried to put on a brave face at work, but when my co-workers saw my hand, they insisted on taking me to the hospital. Which was actually a good plan since x-rays revealed I did break my finger.

Not cool, man. Not cool.

I have couple things worked out for the race on Saturday. First, I am cleared to race as long as I wear my metal brace on my finger. If someone accidentally kicked my hand, it would displace my broken bone that would be bad.

The race director is also going to pad the spacing around me a bit so that I can hopefully have a buffer zone.

I am also considering racing the super-sprint instead of the sprint, hoping that would be less of a beating on my finger with the swim and bike.

The most metal horns ever

Has anyone ever done a triathlon with broken finger(s)? Would love to hear any tips!